re: New "Business Moved" Feature for Google+ Local Listings
Wow, just getting to this now.
Back in October, we asked Joel at SMX East when we should just edit in the dashboard vs. closing and creating a new listing. He mentioned that we should base that decision on if the experience changed or not. So if a business has a new owner and therefore moves, I would think that based on what he said, we should close the current listing and open a new one.
However, most businesses I work with move because they have outgrown their current location. The company I work for will probably move our one location in a year or so for this very reason. What Joel said then made sense because when our company moves, the experience isn't changing. We're keeping the same employees, same customers etc. so it would make no sense for us to lose all our reviews or followers.
I'm wondering if that still stands? I'm guessing not.
If that's the case, I was wondering what would happen if a business decided not to follow the recommendation and just simply edited their address in their dashboard. I'm assuming lots of business owners don't read the forums or help center and would simply think editing in the dashboard makes the most common sense. Is the only downfall to doing this the fact that the wrong address will probably show on the listing for awhile? In my experience, that's all that appears to happen (reviews stay in tact normally). I also think some business owners, if they know what will happen, would want to do it that way because losing reviews often results in loss of new business where as having the wrong address displayed often just means more effort put out for existing customers (telling them on the phone that you've moved etc).
Also, if they have already made the edit in their dashboard, are we to advise them to go back, and edit it back to their old address, then mark it closed etc. Maybe that would depend on how long ago they made the edit?
I'm with Keenan - it's bad enough that they will lose their reviews and their ranking. Now they lose all their followers to? I know Google isn't trying to punish them for moving but I am not sure how I would explain this to an SMB without them thinking that.